Debi Smith is an American

folk Folk or Folks may refer to: Sociology *Nation *People * Folklore ** Folk art ** Folk dance ** Folk hero ** Folk music *** Folk metal *** Folk punk *** Folk rock ** Folk religion * Folk taxonomy Arts, entertainment, and media * Folk Plus or Fol ...

singer/songwriter A singer-songwriter is a musician who writes, composes, and performs their own musical material, including lyrics and melodies. In the United States, the category is built on the folk-acoustic tradition, although this role has transmuted thr ...

. She has been a member of

Four Bitchin' Babes The Four Bitchin' Babes is a group of female singer-songwriters with rotating membership performing mainly humorous, satirical, or light-hearted songs in the folk genre. The current touring group consists of Sally Fingerett, Deirdre Flint, Christ ...

since 1994, with whom she continues to tour.Harris, Craig
Debi Smith Biography
,

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

. Retrieved November 16, 2013

Career

Smith began her career as a soloist after graduating from

The College of Wooster The College of Wooster is a private liberal arts college in Wooster, Ohio. Founded in 1866 by the Presbyterian Church as the University of Wooster, it has been officially non-sectarian since 1969 when ownership ties with the Presbyterian Church ...

in Ohio (she also briefly attended

The College of William & Mary The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III a ...

for some of her coursework) and busking in San Francisco. She worked with National Endowment for the Arts and then performed with the all-female

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

group '' The Hags'', and began playing the

bodhrán The bodhrán (, ; plural ''bodhráin'' or ''bodhráns'') is a frame drum used in Irish music ranging from in diameter, with most drums measuring . The sides of the drum are deep. A goatskin head is tacked to one side (synthetic heads or othe ...

during that time. In 1980, she began performing with her sister, Megan Smith, as ''The Smith Sisters''. They released five albums together on

Flying Fish Records Flying Fish Records was a record label founded in Chicago in 1974 that specialized in folk, blues, and country music. In the 1990s the label was sold to Rounder Records. Bruce Kaplan, the label's founder, was a native of Chicago and the son of ...

, which featured accompaniment from musicians such as

Doc DOC, Doc, doc or DoC may refer to: In film and television * ''Doc'' (2001 TV series), a 2001–2004 PAX series * ''Doc'' (1975 TV series), a 1975–1976 CBS sitcom * "D.O.C." (''Lost''), a television episode * ''Doc'' (film), a 1971 Wester ...

and

Merle Watson Eddy Merle Watson (February 8, 1949 – October 23, 1985) was an American folk and bluegrass guitarist. He was best known for his performances with his father, Doc Watson. Merle played and recorded albums together with his father from age 15 unti ...

Sam Bush Charles Samuel Bush (born April 13, 1952) is an American mandolinist who is considered an originator of progressive bluegrass music. In 2020, he was inducted into the International Bluegrass Music Hall of Fame as a member of New Grass Revival. ...

, and

Mark O'Connor Mark O'Connor (born August 5, 1961) is an American fiddle player and composer whose music combines bluegrass, country, jazz and classical. A three-time Grammy Award winner, he has won six Country Music Association Musician Of The Year awards ...

. Smith's first solo CD, ''In My Dreams'', was co-produced by

John Jennings John Jennings may refer to: Politicians * John Jenyns (1660–1717), MP * John Jennings (Burton MP) (1903–1990), British Conservative Party politician * John Jennings (American politician) (1880–1956), U.S. Representative from Tennessee, 1939 ...

, and she has released six more solo albums since, some on the Shanachie label. She continues to tour as a soloist and as a member of ''The

,'' along with occasional appearances with The Smith Sisters. Smith, whose music has been Grammy-nominated, has also been a multiple recipient of Wammie awards (Washington Area Music Awards). Debi has appeared on

Garrison Keillor Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (; born August 7, 1942) is an American author, singer, humorist, voice actor, and radio personality. He created the Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) show ''A Prairie Home Companion'' (called ''Garrison Keillor's Radio ...

Prairie Home Companion Prairies are ecosystems considered part of the temperate grasslands, savannas, and shrublands biome by ecologists, based on similar temperate climates, moderate rainfall, and a composition of grasses, herbs, and shrubs, rather than trees, as the ...

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

Mountain Stage ''Mountain Stage'' is a two-hour music radio show, first aired in 1983, produced by West Virginia Public Broadcasting and distributed worldwide by National Public Radio (NPR). Hosted by Larry Groce from the show's inception until 2021 and current ...

, Radio Smithsonian, CBS Sunday Morning, CMT, and Ken Burn's PBS series, "

The National Parks ''The National Parks: America's Best Idea'' is a 2009 television documentary miniseries by director/producer Ken Burns and producer/writer Dayton Duncan which features the United States National Park system and traces the system's history.

" and "

The Roosevelts ''The Roosevelts: An Intimate History'' is a 2014 American documentary television miniseries directed and produced by Ken Burns. It covers the lives and times of the three most prominent members of the Roosevelt family, Theodore Roosevelt, a ...

." She has performed at such U.S. venues as The Kennedy Center, Wolftrap, EPCOT Center, Philadelphia’s Keswick, and L.A.'s Wadsworth Theaters, and has toured as far away as Russia. She and her mother co-edited the book "Look Up at The Hawks," based on Debi's grandmother's 1930s–40s dust bowl diary. Debi was also included in Random House books' "Life's a Stitch."

Personal life

Debi continues to live in Falls Church, outside of the Washington, D.C., with her husband, Michael Jaworek, VP/Promoter of

The Birchmere The Birchmere is a concert hall in Alexandria, Virginia, that features rock, blues, bluegrass, country, folk, jazz, ethnic, and comedic performers. Its main room seats 500 and provides dinner service, making for an intimate space, with tables on ...

nightclub.

Discography

* ''Bluebird'' (The Smith Sisters) (1984) * ''Mockingbird'' (The Smith Sisters) (1986) * ''Roadrunner'' (The Smith Sisters) (1989) * ''I See the Moon'' (The Smith Sisters) (1991) * ''A Canary's Song'' (The Smith Sisters) (1993) * ''In My Dreams'' (1994) * ''More Than Once'' (1998) * ''Red Bird'' (2001) * ''Cupid'' (2005) * ''The Soprano'' (2007) * ''Hits and Holidays'' (2013) * "If I Were an Angel" (2014) * “Deep Tracks” (2018) * “Then and Now” (2021)

References

External links

Official web site
Year of birth missing (living people) Living people 21st-century American women American women singers American women songwriters American folk musicians Bodhrán players Four Bitchin' Babes members College of Wooster alumni People from Falls Church, Virginia {{singer-songwriter-stub